Conference Information

About Conference

PULSUS cordially invites all the researchers, academicians, students and business professionals in the field of STD, HIV/AIDS from all over the world to “2nd International Conference on Sexually Transmitted Diseases” slated on August 20-21, 2018 at Toronto, Canada which includes prompt keynote presentations, Workshops, Oral talks, Poster presentations and Exhibitions.

The STD 2018 conference will revolve around the theme “Futuristic Approaches in Clinical Therapiesof Sexually Transmitted Diseases” thus relaying the latest technologies and innovations relevant to STD related fields. The two days meeting is going to be an event to look forward to for its enlightening symposiums & workshops from established experts of the field, exceptional keynote sessions directed by the best in the business. It will also prove to be a brilliant open door for the representatives from Universities and Institutes to cooperate with the world class researchers and an outstanding opportunity for businesses keen at expanding their global market reach.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are among the most infectious diseases which is caused by bacterial, viral and protozoan pathogens and are a major cause for morbidity and mortality in many developing countries. The prime focus of the event is on the clinical advances in diagnostic methods, understanding drug resistance and mutation mechanism, cancer associated with STDs. The different treatment strategies for STDs mainly focuses on drug development and research such as gene editing, nanotechnology in drug delivery system, phytochemicals in STDs treatment which provides a better clinical care.This event provides an excellent opportunity for the young scientists and researchers to explore the advancements in the various fields associated with STDs.

Scientific Sessions

Session 1: Types of STDs

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are infectious diseases that are transmitted from a person to another through sexual contact or blood of an infected person. The pathogens such as bacteria, virus, fungi, protozoa are responsible for the disease transmission. Bacterial STDs are Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Chancroid. Viral STDs include HIV/AIDS, Human papillomavirus, Hepatitis, Genital Herpes. Trichomoniasis is a STD caused by parasitic protozoan. Candidiasis is considered to be an fungal STD which is spread by fungus Candida albicans. Most of the sexually transmitted diseases such as viral STDs have no cure but the disease can be controlled with proper treatment while bacterial, fungal and protozoan STDs can be cured with antifungals and antibiotics.

The evolution of the disease pathogens are caused by the selective pressures of the host immune response, modern drugs, vaccines or by microbial competition. Through evolutionary phase, a pathogen can become more or less virulent. The phylogeny, epidemiology and origin studies on sexually transmitted diseases provides valuable data on the genetic transition traits in both host and pathogen. The evolutionary study of the disease causing pathogen provides the disease transmission and diversity among the human population. The clinical epidemiology and phylogenetic study paves way for new insights for the development of drugs and therapies against the multiple drug resistant strains.

The immune system helps in elimination of the invading microbial pathogens in the body through a series of defense mechanism. The innate immune response of the body provides first line of defense against the pathogens which is fast and non-specific response while adaptive immune response is specific and slow. The study of immunopathogenesis allows us to explore the disease transmission process, pathogen-host interactions, immune defense against the STD pathogens. This allows us to understand the pathological condition and progression of the disease and also the genetic factors influencing the immune defense against STD transmission. The genetic factors influence can be used for the development of gene therapies that triggers immune reaction against the disease causing pathogens in the body.

Antibiotics are used for treating the STDs caused by bacteria and protozoa. The bacterial STDs can be cured if the infection is properly diagnosed and treated. Several antibiotic resistant strains of pathogens have developed which pose a serious threat for health of the STD affected individuals. For viral STDs, there are no complete cure but progression of the disease can be controlled by antiretroviral therapies which use multiple antiretroviral drugs to decrease the disease proliferation and reduce other opportunistic infections. Gene therapy involves gene editing approaches which can provide a better and safer alternative to other existing drugs. Novel and emerging treatment strategies can provide a solution for the increasing drug resistance in the pathogens.

STDs are transmitted from a person to another through sexual contact or blood transfusions from an infected person or needle sharing, or from mother to infant during pregnancy, labor and breastfeeding. STDs can be prevented through vaccination, screening and through promoting safer sexual behavior, early health-care seeking behavior, prevention and care activities. Pregnant women affected with STD must take proper treatment to prevent the vertical transmission of STD. Most STDs cannot be cured and leads to infertility, birth defects in infants, co-infections, opportunistic infections and many other health issues.

Diagnosis of STDs are done by serological assays, amplification techniques, immunological diagnosis attains a accurate result of the diagnosis. Point-of-care test enables rapid screening of Syphilis and allows treatment without delay. Nucleic acid amplification testsmonitor the infection trends and helps in the adaptation of treatment protocols. Drug-resistance test provides the provisions for identifying drug resistance in the STDs which aids in overcoming the resistance and provide a better treatment. Further improvements in the diagnosis method can help in rapid and cost-effective method for screening of the disease.

Drug development and research is the development and invention of new drugs and improvement of existing drugs. Continuous progress in drug development and research field is necessary for invention of new drugs and drug targets. Identification of the drug target is the basis of the drug development process, this can be done through various computational approaches. Gene editing technology such as CRISPR seeks to eliminate the latent as well active HIV infection in the human which would be more effective in the treatment of AIDS. Various viral inhibitors such as entry inhibitors, maturation inhibitors are designed to inhibit the replication of the virus inside the host cell.

A highly effective method for controlling infectious diseases is vaccination, it helps in prevention of high risk health issues. Prophylactic vaccines are those used for prevention while therapeutic vaccines are used for treatment of the specific disease. Sexually transmitted diseases are spread by pathogens such as bacteria, virus, fungi and protozoa. Many viral STDs doesn't have cure hence preventing the infection through vaccination is a best method. Vaccines are developed for Hepatitis and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection and for HIV and Herpes virus vaccines are being developed. Vaccination is the primary solution for eradication of sexually transmitted diseases in human.

Nanotechnology is the science and engineering of structures that are 1–100 nm in size. Nanomedicine is a branch of medicine which is employed in preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Using nanoparticles, effective timely release of drugs to the infected areas/organs are possible which improves specificity of drug action. HIV/AIDS patients face a major problem where the virus resides in latent reservoirs makes it hard to reach for drugs. Nanoparticles has the ability to travel through the body with less interruption which aids in effective release of drugs at HIV virus reservoirs at the specific target. Therapeutic nanoparticles have higher specificity for the drug targets which enhances the treatment efficiency and better cure for the affected individual.

Plants contain a wide range of substances that are used for treating chronic as well as acute infectious diseases. Many modern drugs in use have been developed from the medicinal plants which has been used by indigenous people. Phytochemicals are chemicals secreted by plants that have disease preventive properties that is used by the plants to protect itself from diseases. Antimicrobial activity of the plant sources can act as a better drug for the strains that has developed multiple drug resistance to antibiotics. Many bacterial STDs can be combated using phytochemicals produced by the medicinal plants. Pharmacological effects of the bio active compounds in the plants must be explored to produce a cure for the multiple drug resistant bacterial STDs.

The infectious pathogens mutate under certain circumstances to overcome the pressure inflicted upon them. Such organisms develop resistance to the drug in use. This proves to be a major problem in the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. Human immunodeficiency virus has developed resistance to the antiretroviral drug provided. Hence combination antiretroviral therapies are used for treating AIDS which involves using two or more antiretroviral drugs together. Several bacterial species has also developed resistance to the antibiotics provided for the treatment. The mutation of the pathogens has led to development of drug resistance against many antibiotics and antiretroviral drugs.

Sexually transmitted disease increases the risk of being affected by cancer. Among the STDs which lead to cancer, human papillomavirus infection is found to cause cervical cancer in women and penile cancer in men. It is also responsible for the development of oropharyngeal cancer in both sexes. Untreated STDs has a higher risk for leading to development of cancer. The progression of cancer in people affected by STD must be analyzed to understand the causative agents of the cancer.

Gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis cause immune reactions which leads to inflammation that can easily be infected with HIV. Co-infection is a condition where a person actively infected with STD is infected with another STD. when a STI infected individual is prone to another infection due to immune compromise they are less able to mount a protective response against sexually transmitted pathogens. Treating co-infected individuals can be challenging and the treatment methods must be analyzed and modified to their needs.

When an STD infection is left untreated in women, it may be lead to pelvic inflammatory disease. Being affected by pelvic inflammatory disease may lead to infertility or ectopic pregnancy in pregnant women. When the mother is infected by STD, the fetus or new born is mostly infected. STDs during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, birth defects including blindness, deafness, bone deformities, and intellectual disability, stillbirth, premature birth. In males, reduced fertility or infertility is most common side effect of the disease.

Vertical STD transmission is the process of transfer of STD from a mother to infant perinatally or postnatally. During delivery, when the baby passes through the infected canal, it can contract the STDs such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes from the infected mother. Syphilis and HIV can be contracted from the mother during fetus development. Postnatal transmission of the disease is possible through breastfeeding the baby. Vertical STD transmission poses serious threat to the health of the baby.

Sexually transmitted diseases are an important cause of morbidity in paediatric patients. The transmission occurs via transplacental, intrapartum, and postpartum exposure. When an infant contracts disease from mother, it can affect the skin, eyes, mouth, central nervous system, and can also lead to organ failure. With treatment, the chances of transmitting HIV from mother to infant is low. Proper awareness, treatment and diagnosis is needed to prevent the transmission of STDs among young people.

Multimorbidities is the presence of two or more chronic diseases at the same time. Super infection or re-infection is the condition where a person with HIV infection acquires infection with the sub-type of HIV. Re-infection affects the treatment which can deteriorate the health of the affected individual. The STD affected individual suffers from other social and emotional complicationswhich may also have adverse effects in the health of the individual. Multiple morbidities associated with the disease causes more damage to the health as the immune system would be compromised by the STD.

Educational and awareness programs must be conducted to improve the public knowledge about the sexually transmitted diseases. People affected by sexually transmitted diseases have dramatically increased, millions of people are affected by the disease due to lack of awareness. Public must be aware about the impact of STDs on the lives of the affected people and the importance of preventing, screening and treating STDs. Poor knowledge about the STDs lead to increased health issues such as ectopic pregnancies, infertility and other complications. It is a major health issue that affects mostly young people, not only in developing countries but in developed countries also.

Market Analysis

Summary:

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are widespread infectious diseases which is transmitted from one person to another through sexual contact or blood. This disease is caused by microbial pathogens such as bacteria, virus, fungi and protozoans. The bacterial STDs such as Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Chancroid are by bacteria and they can be cured with antibiotics. The viral STDs infections cannot be cured but can be kept under control by treatment such as antiretroviral combination therapy. Several viral STDs are HIV/AIDS, Human papillomavirus, Hepatitis, Genital Herpes. Candidiasis caused by Candida albicans is a type of fungal STD which can be treated with antifungals. STDs are transmitted from a person to another through sexual contact or blood transfusions from an infected person or needle sharing, or from mother to infant during pregnancy, labor and breastfeeding.

Most STDs cannot be cured and leads to infertility, birth defects in infants, co-infections, opportunistic infections and many other health issues. To prevent the disease transmission proper screening and diagnosis must be done. Different diagnostic methods are available which provides rapid diagnosis results. Point-of-care test, nucleic acid amplification tests, serological assays, amplification techniques, immunological diagnosis are several methods which are in use for screening for STDs. Pre-Exposure vaccination is available for hepatitis and human papillomavirus which helps in the prevention of the disease. Vaccination is the primary solution for the eradication of disease. People affected by sexually transmitted diseases have dramatically increased, millions of people are affected by the disease due to lack of awareness. Educational and awareness programs must be conducted to improve the public knowledge about the sexually transmitted diseases.

Scope and Importance:

Sexually transmitted diseases are a global level health issue with ongoing research and development for therapies and drug for prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. STDs cause serious health complications such as infertility in both men and women, ectopic pregnancy, pelvic inflammatory disease, stillbirth, neurologic damage, cancer and high morbidity in adults. There are about 20 million new STD infections each year. As per WHO report in 2015, about 1.1 billion people had sexually transmitted diseases other than HIV/AIDS. About 500 million people were infected with either chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis or trichomoniasis. At least 250 million women suffering from human papillomavirus while 530 million case find with genital herpes. Physicians and health-care providers play a key role in prevention and treatment of STDs. The worldwide STD diagnostic market was valued at over USD 100.0 billion in 2014. The advancements in STD diagnostic technologies offers more precise test results which contributes to the rise in the market value of STD diagnostics industry. Low voluntary screening rate for sexually transmitted diseases is a major restrain for this market. STDs diagnostic market was USD 103.20 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach around USD 166.50 by 2021, growing at a CAGR of about 8.3% between 2015 and 2021.

Among various therapies, the generally used modern treatment for STDs are antibiotics. The global STD drug market is expected to show constant growth due to the high prevalence of sexually transmitted disease in recent years. The high health risk associated with the disease increases the need for diagnosis, prevention and treatment for the sexually transmitted diseases. The patient’s willingness to opt for advanced treatment will boost the global drug market value of the sexually transmitted diseases. Improvement in the health-care worldwide and rising per capita income are the major components which drives the health-care reform supporting STD diagnostic industry growth. HPV infections constitute 5,00,000 cases/year of which 80% are reportedly from developing countries. The rise in incidence of various infections such as syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, human papillomavirus, herpes simplex virus, chancroid and trichomoniasis is expected to increase the demand for drugs globally. Companies playing major role in the global sexually transmitted diseases drug market are Pfizer INC, Hoffmann La Roche, Bayer Healthcare, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. AbbVie, Inc., Gilead Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, and Merck & Co., Inc.

Why Toronto, Canada

Canada and the United States are the economically wealthiest and most developed nations in the continent. Canada is the third most populous country with 32,623,490. Canada shows remarkable growth in the sectors of services, mining and manufacturing. Canada's per capita GDP was estimated at $44,656 and it had the 11th largest GDP in 2014. Canada's services sector comprises 78% of the country's GDP in 2010, industry comprises 20% and agriculture comprises 2%. It is highly urbanized with 82 percent of the 35.15 million people living in large and medium-sized cities, many people living near the southern border. The capital city of Canada is Ottawa, and the three largest metropolitan cities in Canada are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. With 2,731,571 residents in 2016, it is the largest city in Canada and fourth largest city in North America by population. Toronto is a prominent centre for music, theatre, motion picture production, and television production, and is home to the headquarters of Canada's major national broadcast networks and media outlets. The city is home to the Toronto Stock Exchange, the headquarters of Canada's five largest banks, and the headquarters of many large Canadian and multinational corporations. The global sexually transmitted diseases drug market is segmented into five regions geographically as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa. Among them, North America has leading market value and is estimated to gain more market shares from other regions by 2025. North America has emerged as the largest shareholder in the global sexually transmitted diseases drug market in 2016. The STD drug market growth of North America is attributed to its well established industries and advanced diagnosis and treatment facilities.

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